LIBERTAS - In the Name of Liberty

Liberty is the combination of freedom and responsibility. Alone, freedom allows people to harm each other for their own gain. Only when you join freedom to right action do you produce a just society. Without justice, freedom is worthless. To understand that you are not alone is the first step on the path.
"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately." - Benjamin Franklin, 1776

Monday, January 29, 2007

In the Fall of 1939, when Hitler invaded Poland, no one did anything about it, we were ignorant cowards. Germany was too strong and white to mess with. It was just the beginning of the war in Europe.

In 1990, when Saddam invaded Kuwait, the first President George Bush used the argument that we must remember 1939. He said that if we had stopped Hitler in 1939, we could have avoided the mass deaths of WWII. He claimed that for one country to attack and invade another without provocation was an illegal act under international law, we must stop Saddam before he moves into Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Iran.

This argument worked well, and brought along the entire United Nations into the Gulf War. We could not let an out of control dictator, with a massive military, bully his way into the oil rich lands of his neighbors. We could not allow a new 'Hitler' to arise, we had a responsibility to learn from our mistakes and history. After all, we are the USA. The most powerful force for freedom in the world. We have the moral responsibility police the world right? Especially when the rich Princes of Kuwait have oil companies that "lobby" (i.e. bribe) our government.

In 2003, when George W. Bush invaded Iraq, in a unnecessary and "preemptive" war of choice against a nation we had already beaten a decade earlier, no one tried to stop US. They didn't stand up and call us hypocrites, they didn't label it an illegal war, they didn't call Bush the new Hitler, as we did with Saddam. Thus, history repeats itself, and this time a new American generation will be guilty of the crime of committing war.

One man has taken the oath to uphold our US Constitution. One man is intelligent enough to study the law and see the truth of the situation in Iraq. One man has stood up for what is right. And he will be crucified. History repeats.

"Last week a military judge ruled that Conscientious Objector Lieutenant Ehren K. Watad cannot present evidence challenging the war’s legality nor explain what motivated him to resist his deployment order. He is the first officer to refuse to go to Iraq. With his court martial less than two weeks away, Lt. Watada is facing up to six years in prison." - quoted from Democracy Now

"He faces one charge of missing troop movement, and four counts of conduct unbecoming an officer. Each of the later four charges relates to his public comments on why he refuses to deploy to Iraq. The military judge also rejected defense arguments that Lt. Watada's remarks are protected by the First Amendment." - quoted from Democracy Now

If there is to be any justice for Conscientious Objectors, for our Veterans, for the people of Iraq, then we must call this war what it is, an unjust and illegal invasion. We are becoming the Nazis of the 21st Century. Thank your god that there is one man of courage willing to tell the emperor that he has no clothes.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

It is no secret that President G. W. Bush is the enemy of Liberty. He is addicted to the very kind of fundamental religion that enslaves the mind and kills freedom.

G. W. Bush pretends that his lies and the illegal war making are all in the past, avoiding accountability, and digging us a deeper grave. As if his actions are not directly responsible for the threats and problems we will face today and for years to come.

"With the distance of time, we find ourselves debating the causes of conflict and the course we have followed. Such debates are essential when a great democracy faces great questions. Yet one question has surely been settled: that to win the war on terror we must take the fight to the enemy. (Applause.)" - G. W. Bush, 2007 State of the Union

G. W. Bush prepares for the Attack on IRAN.

"These men are not given to idle words, and they are just one camp in the Islamist radical movement. In recent times, it has also become clear that we face an escalating danger from Shia extremists who are just as hostile to America, and are also determined to dominate the Middle East. Many are known to take direction from the regime in Iran, which is funding and arming terrorists like Hezbollah -- a group second only to al Qaeda in the American lives it has taken." - G. W. Bush, 2007 State of the Union

G. W. Bush slips in the dagger that will kill American Liberty.

"Tonight I ask the Congress to authorize an increase in the size of our active Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in the next five years. (Applause.) A second task we can take on together is to design and establish a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps. Such a corps would function much like our military reserve. It would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them. It would give people across America who do not wear the uniform a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our time." - G. W. Bush, 2007 State of the Union

This last paragraph is a direct call to Congress to fund a CRC (Civilian Reserve Corps), that is a core of mercenary soldiers funded by American taxes, but completely outside the military structure, and thus outside our laws. These private armies already exist. Corporate interests are making billions by out sourcing the US Military to hired guns. These so called "Security Firms", like the well documented Blackwater, are gouging American taxpayers. They do what our military is supposed to do, kill people, only at ten times the cost, and without oversight, legal, or political limitation.

This new CRC, if instituted, will be the end of America. It is the last nail in the coffin of our freedoms. With the new laws in place (Patriot Act2, Military Commissions Act, and the 2007 Defense Authorization Act) these hired soldiers will be allowed to move on any US Citizen declared an enemy of the state. Mark these words, they will be invading our homes, taking us prisoner, and torturing us. They are the new Waffen-SS. PAY ATTENTION! IT IS BEGINNING AGAIN!

When free men are unwilling to volunteer to fight this so called "War on Terror", when the U.S. Armed Forces are considered incapable (i.e. a threat) to the power that runs our government, we have crossed a line. I beg you, call your congressmen, spread the word, before it is too late.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

It never ceases to amaze and disappoint me that the people I meet have not seen this important film. First released in 2005, it is perhaps the most important documentary of that year, but its message is for all time.

It is a restatement of the final warning of President Dwight D. Eisenhower as he left office, that the Nation of the United States was evolving into an Empire America, with a permanent Military Industrial (Congressional) Complex.

If you have not seen this film, then it is time that you do. Those who are aware of the world's realities will find deeply disturbing evidence of your worst fears.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Dennis Kucinich is not taken seriously by the media. He is not what they want to cover. He doesn't have the same kind of good looking charisma as Obama or Edwards, he doesn't "LOOK presidential", and shouldn't try to play that game. Kucinich is a smart, honest, and serious candidate for president of the USA. His strength is his courage.

The question is do the Democrats want a candidate that can win or one that is right? Obama is considered African-American, Hiliary Clinton is a woman, John Edwards is for poor people, which of these people is electable? Perhaps none of them, but they all can rase the money ($200,000,000+), they all "LOOK presidential", and as far as I can tell each of them are generally right on the issues.

In truth Dennis Kucinich, like Al Gore, should be the brain behind the beauty. He should be calling the shots, telling the president the best options for our future. But unless someone stands up and shouts from the rooftop about the REAL ISSUES, then the beautiful people in the media will not even cover those issues.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Civics - is the learning of the tools of maintaining a republican democracy.

If you are not taught it then you do not know it. Civics is the expertise needed to understand the Western Enlightenment and Civil Liberties. It is not something you are born with you have to learn it.

You have to teach it, you have to find the time and creativity in schools.

It is the CONSTANCY that you can learn.It is the constancy of CURIOSITY and OUTRAGE.It is OK to keep asking the questions, to decent.

We owe ourselves and our children to re-learn the tools of DEMOCRACY:

Reason and Logic

Clarity

Decent

Civility

Dialog

Discourse

Debate

These are the non-partizan tools of Democracy and without them you can kiss thing called America good by. It was not because of a conspiracy that this left, it was thoughtlessness, what you have to do is get it back.

Unless we teach the ideas that make America a miracle in government. A MIRACLE, that everyone knows is a miracle. Then it will go away in your children's lifetime. Unless we teach what "Government by the People" means, then we will loose it, and we will become a fable; a tale told about this place called America. We will loose it to stupidly and fundamentalism of any stripe, we will loose it to the darkness.

What this country represents is a tiny twinkle of light in a history of oppression, darkness and cruelty. If it lasts for more than our lifetime it is only due to the fact that we put some effort into teaching what it is, this idea of America.

If we choose not to teach it, then it will go away, and in the middle of the night when the towers fall, we will not say "what am I responsible for?" We will instinctually react and ask "tell me what to do?" And the Idea of taking responsibility for your own government will fade from the earth, perhaps forever.

YOU have to teach the ideas that make America a free country. All men are created equal, a government of the people, for the people, by the people, with liberty and justice for all. If you do not, then it will perish and we will become a legend, just as Camelot.

Started accidently in 1981 by Norman Lier, People For the American Way, is an energetic advocate for the values and institutions that sustain a diverse democratic society.

It's time to loose some money.

There are things more important.

The amount of energy, creativity, and money spent distracting the audience is a problem. Television is part of the problem. Greed knows no bottom.Real news is honest unbiased fact and does not make money, but it can save your freedom and your life.

The media, the 4th estate, has the obligation to edit. Put Shakespeare up against porn, and porn will win every time. Take the distractions off the table, stop feeding us the junk.

Unless you stand against it, YOU endorse it. Turn the channel, turn it off.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

As the country finds itself in the midst of a terrible battle over the outrageous efforts to send more troops to Iraq, the four year anniversary of the war is fast approaching on March 19th. We all hoped that after the election, this anniversary would herald a withdrawal -- a beginning of the end of this tragedy. That is not happening, and it will take all of our efforts to make it happen.

In thinking of how we at Brave New Films can contribute, and inspired by the AIDS Quilt, the Vietnam memorial, and the New York Times biographies of the 9/11 victims, we decided to create a living online memorial to U.S. soldiers killed during the Iraq War.

The Iraq Veterans Memorial will bear witness with the 60-second video testimonies of family, friends, co-workers, and military colleagues of those killed. Memories and anecdotes that will always remind us of the impact their lives had on those who loved them.

The memorial will be unveiled on March 19th all across the internet.

Jim Miller at the Brave New Foundation in partnership with Gold Star Families Speak Out, Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, North Texas Vets, Veterans for Peace, Soldiers of Today and Yesterday, GI Special, and United for Peace and Justice will organize all this.

We need your help in two ways:

1. 60 second videos. If you knew a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq, please send us your video testimonial. Or forward this email to someone who did, and encourage them to participate.

March 19th was the terrible day this unnecessary war began, and each year the country seems to be searching for ways to recongize this day. Working together we can create a profoundly important and personal memorial that will bear witness to the human toll that the war has taken. We hope that you will help us spread the word.

Thank you for your amazing work last year in making Iraq for Sale become an issue and subject that the whole country and the elected officals are focused on.

We will be in touch in a few weeks with a discussion of our plans for the year ahead.

Robert Greenwaldand everyone at Brave New Films & Foundation

P.S. Jan 27th in Washington DC will be massive end-the-war demonstrations. BE SURE TO GO IF YOU CAN, and we'll have folks in the area filming testimonials.

WHEN: Saturday, January 27th 11amWHERE: UFPJ march on WashingtonOn the Mall at the corner of 3rd streetMore details on the march are at unitedforpeace.org

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Over 40 countries around the world block free internet access. They use Firewall software to automatically limit what information people can access online. It is particularly troublesome that world powers like China have bribed Google and Yahoo to help them capture and imprison Chinese dissidents.

In December 2006 a new software tool became available that allows people in repressive regimes to gain free access to the internet through friends in other countries.

PSIPHON is a FREE downloadable internet server that can be used to access the internet using an encrypted 'channel' that Firewalls will be unlikely to block. This works because if the repressive nations allow ANY kind of internet access, which they always will because without it they can not compete, then users can use that line of access to tap into the internet access of someone in a free country.

Download Psiphon, mirror it, use it on your servers and share the IP address with any of your friends in Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Iran, China, North Korea, or Kansas.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

This past Thursday, Senator Patrick Leahy introduced the War Profiteering Prevention Act of 2007, which will impose stiff fines (double gross profits!) and prison terms (20 years!) on war profiteers. He is the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee, so we'll be seeing some action on this pronto.

This is a direct result of your extraordinary efforts around "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers." Thousands of you came together to support the film when it was just an idea, and without you it never would have happened, and this bill probably wouldn't exist.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Since 1966, at the hight of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, The Center for Constitutional Rights has been fighting to secure our civil liberties. No one knew then that in just 40 short years the Bush Administration would eliminate all of our civil rights under the threat of homeland security. With just three anti-constitutional laws (Patriot Act 2, 2007 Defense Authorizaton Bill, and Military Commissions Act) G. W. Bush has legalized spying on Americans, vaporized the bill of rights, and allowed the military to attack civilians. We need the experience of The Center for Constitutional Rights today more than ever.

"In a democracy, it is the responsibility of the citizens to educate themselves and take action to control their destiny. Failure to do so will result in slavery." - MER

People For the American Way is an energetic advocate for the values and institutions that sustain a diverse democratic society. We know that our most fundamental rights and freedoms, and even our basic constitutional framework, are in jeopardy. People For the American Way works in close collaboration with other leading national and state progressive organizations to mobilize Americans at this defining moment in our history.

Congress, with the new Democratic majority, opens tomorrow (Jan. 4). As the Washington Post reported today, “Nowhere in the Democrats' consensus-driven agenda is legislation revisiting last year's establishment of military tribunals and suspending legal rights for suspected terrorists. Nor is there a revision of the civil liberties provisions of the USA Patriot Act, a measure curbing warrantless wiretapping by the National Security Agency or an aggressive confrontation of the president on his Iraq war policies.” (See an important correction to the article below.)

New Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly stated that “Impeachment is off the table”. Not if we have anything to do about it.

The Bush Regime is guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity- of waging immoral wars, torture, and police state measures. For the war to end now, for torture to stop, to restore rights stolen, we the people must act. No one will do this for us.

This is why tomorrow, January 4 th, the opening day of the new Congress, World Can’t Wait will lead a major challenge to the political direction in this country since the election. We demand Congress investigate and hold accountable the Bush Administration for war crimes and bring articles of impeachment against the President.

The day will begin with a protest rally at 12:00 noon at Upper Senate Park (Delaware & Constitution, just north of the Capitol). Click here to view endorsers of the protest.

That evening we will be hosting: Voices For Impeachment. It will begin at 7pm at the National Press Club. 529 14th Street Northwest (one block east of the White House). This event was written about in today’s Washington Post (A03)."Those people protesting on Thursday care deeply about their country," said Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire, an incoming House freshman who ran as an ardent opponent of Bush and the war. "I think we do need to pay attention. People are begging us to remember the Constitution, what made this country great."

Jonathan Weisman ("Activists Seek Bolder Approach to War, Spying," Jan 3, 2007) asked me to characterize the views of others on impeachment, and when I did, these views were incorrectly attributed to me. As director of the World Can't Wait--Drive Out the Bush Regime, I believe the Bush regime has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, and should be impeached on that basis, beginning now. For the war to end, for torture to stop, to restore rights stolen, we must create a political movement of millions that all of society, including Congress, must answer to. - Debra Sweet, World Can't Wait

Monday, January 01, 2007

When Bush took office in 2000, I said that we would spend 10 years cleaning up the mess he would make in four.

When 9/11 happened, I knew we didn't have the leadership we needed to deal with it, but I didn't know what to do.

When we went into Iraq illegally on a 'preemptive' strike, without any proof of WMD, I knew that we were repeating the sins of Vietnam. I said then, "If the Iraq army could kill as many soldiers as died on 9/11, then Americans will turn against the war."

When Bush was re-elected I got severally depressed, had the American People lost their F%ck#n minds? It will take 50 years to dig out of the whole he has created.

Yesterday, we Buried President Ford, a man who was hated during his era for giving a full pardon to Nixon, but is now considered a humble and honorable man, when compared to the current administration. Nixon just tapped phone lines of the Democratic National Committee, in 2006, G. W. Bush made it legal for the NSA to tap us all without warrants. Time's change.

We also buried Saddam Hussein, the news calls him "one of the greatest mass murderers in history". Ironic that G. W. Bush is responsible for more deaths of both Americans and Iraqis. They released a video tape online that shows Hussein's executioners chanting Shiite rants as they killed Sadam, quashing U. S. claims that he received a fair trial.

Osama bina Laden is a Sunni Muslim. The Iraqi government, led by Shiite Muslims. Most U. S. Intelligence Officials don't know the difference between Shiite and Sunni. We are being lead to war by incompetent buffoons.

There are 100,000 U.S. troops in Iraq today, with a "Surge" of 20,000 more on the way. 500,000 U.S. troops have seen duty in Iraq, 3000 dead, 20,000 purple hearts (maimed and wounded casualties), who knows how many more with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

There are 100,000 U.S. Civilian Private Contractors in Iraq. Officials say only about 600 have been killed so far, no numbers on wounded, but you have to wonder how less than one percent can die each year in a WAR ZONE, when the general population looses 1% to normal attrition?

There are 400,000 Foreign Civilian Contractors in Iraq, hired to support our war by U.S. War Contractors. No one wants to report how many have been killed, maimed, or wounded. We are paying them less than our own minimum wage to do things like food service for our troops.

In 2007 the War on Iraq will cost $200 BILLION. The U.S. National Budget Deficit will be $HALF-A-TRILLION, and the War is NOT included in the budget. Our National Debt has doubled during the Republican control of Congress and the Senate to 8.5 $TRILLION, and the value of the dollar is now half of what it was. If you are still working for a living, your pay is worth half, your house is worth half, and your stock value is worth half what it was in 2000.

I don't want to start 2007 on a downer. So, here is a positive story. Pop Star, James Brown, had a funeral yesterday too. It was the only true celebration of life I've seen in a while. That was a man who truly left a positive mark on the universe, they danced all day in front of him.

2006 will go down in history as the year we lost our civil rights and America became a Legend we tell our kids. We now legally torture U.S. Citizens, in secret prisons, and hire private armies to do our dirty work. What the f%ck happened? That used to be why we fought the "evildoers".

The Democrats won the election, they own the U.S. House and Senate. Let us see if they have the courage to take back this nation. Now, I hope we will be out of Iraq someday, but after the first six years of this century, I just want my civil rights back.

Over the last year the big phone companies, known today as the Telecomm Industry, have been trying to conglomerate back into its past glory, the U. S. Monopoly once known as AT&T. As part of their quest to control the means of communication these networks have a plan to increase the cost of communication. There idea is to start charging for internet access by bandwidth rather than equally to each customer. Then they could offer big discounts to companies who can afford to buy most of the bandwidth. Of course, as there is a finite supply of information flow, buying up bandwidth will reduce the supply for others, and thus increase the value or decrease the speed.

What this means, over time individual users, small businesses, schools (all the people who create the value of the net) will end up paying more for less. Big companies will own the resource of communication, just as they now own energy, food, and other resources, and that could be very dangerious for democracy.

Last Wednesday, we scored a significant victory in the fight to protect Net Neutrality. After intense public pressure, AT&T executives agreed to adhere to Network Neutrality conditions in order to secure FCC approval for their mega-merger with BellSouth.

While the merger itself raises serious concerns, this agreement sets a crucial precedent for Internet freedom. It's now up to the new Congress to finish the work of the FCC and make Net Neutrality permanent under the law.

The agreement sets the bar for all future Internet policy, and paves the way for Congress to make Net Neutrality the law in 2007. That's why it's vital for you to speak up now.

Before Congress begins its new session on January 4, your elected officials need to hear from you. Sign this letter to let them know that it's time they stand with the more than a million people who spoke out forcefully in support of Internet freedom in

Act Now: Tell Congress to Make Net Neutrality the LawAs the New Year begins, we need to stand ready and take our fight for a faster, more open and accessible Internet back to Congress. With your help, we can create a better Internet for everyone.Best Wishes,

The Corporation - The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power (Hardcover)
by Joel Bakan (Author)
A history of the most powerful institution of the 21st Century, the Dangerous, Amoral, Immortal, and Unaccountable, For-Profit Business Incorporation.